Theresa Newton, floor director of "The Joey Canyon Show," works behind the stage at Comcast studios in Centennial. Host Joey Canyon, right, performs during a second-season taping of his TV show, which recently received $102,000 in rebates from the state.

Joey Canyon performs his song "The Most Important Thing" during a taping of "The Joey Canyon Show" at Comcast studios in Centennial last month. The locally produced cable series, which airs on the rural-targeted network RFD, is unlike anything else on TV at the moment.

Jimmy Fortune, the day’s musical guest and a member of country greats the Statler Brothers (one of Johnny Cash’s early backing bands), stands off stage, looking a bit confused, while he waits to soundcheck. That is, until a crew member explains this is “reverse day,” in which the cast celebrates the end of taping the show’s first season with clowning and outtakes.

“I didn’t know they were going to do this,” Canyon, 63, admits while laughing and shaking his head, which sports a crisp black cowboy hat.

Canyon’s weekly half-hour TV show, the first season of which began airing on Jan. 8, is unlike anything in Colorado, and very likely the nation. Spiritually and geographically, it’s somewhere between Hollywood and Nashville, between “The Tonight Show” and “Hee Haw.” Canyon calls it a variety show but its format hews closer to modern talk shows with their mix of musical performances, skits and sit-down chats.

Canyon’s gentle, old-school tone courts older viewers with an emphasis on traditional rather than pop-country — part preservation and tribute, part 21st-century sequins and smiles.

“The current country music business is always looking for the next, hot, 20-year-old thing, but there’s a whole array of people who had huge careers who are being disregarded,” says co-host Miller, the son of Country Music Hall of Famer Roger Miller (“King of the Road,” “Big River”) and an artist in his own right.

“It’s nice to have a place for those people because their talent didn’t go away. Their songs didn’t go away. Their voices are still as good as they always were.”

In its first season, “The Joey Canyon Show” will welcome Kix Brooks (of Brooks and Dunn), Pam Tillis, Jonathan McEuen, Highway 101, Lorrie Morgan and other artists. Carried by the rural-targeted cable network RFD (available on Dish Network and DirecTV), the show has the potential to reach more than 50 million households weekly, although the network declined to release ratings for “The Joey Canyon Show” in particular.

“A half-million viewers tune in each week to our most popular music/variety shows, so messages regarding the Denver area could easily reach that many fans,” wrote Julie Mankin, vice president of public relations at the 16-year-old, Omaha-based RFD, in an e-mail. “Also, with Joey having a single at number one, I expect that potential to go even higher.”

Indeed, Canyon, a California native who has lived in Colorado for the last 40 years, has built a solid career and industry connections as a recording and touring artist — all of which he’s cashing in for his eponymous show.

His song “Life Without You” recently hit No. 1 on the grassroots charts National Radio Hits and Independent Music Network, which combine radio play with public voting (as opposed to Billboard’s more accepted sales-oriented metrics).

Last week Canyon garnered a trio of nominations from trade magazine New Music Weekly that hint at his appeal with listeners on the margins, including crossover artist of the year.

“There’s so much garbage on TV that I took it upon myself to create my own entertainment,” said Canyon, who has raised $1.4 million through a private investor to shoot the first two seasons of “The Joey Canyon Show.” “I want to raise another $2.5 million to do a couple other TV shows, because I know this one will be a hit.”

It’s not just Colorado’s culture and scenery that Canyon is selling, even if his twangy, uptempo theme song begins with the lines, “Welcome to Denver / It’s the Joey Canyon Show / Everybody’s watching us / Right here in Colorado.”

“I want to be what John Denver was: an ambassador to Colorado,” said Canyon, a former baseball player turned singer-songwriter. “I really love my state and everything about it, and I felt this show could help bring more production work here. It’s also a synergy with businesses who may want to be sponsors on my show.”

Canyon, who owns and produces the show through his upstart Canyon Entertainment Inc., is still lining up the all-important sponsors for his first season. But he has already convinced the Colorado Office of Film, Television & Media to award him a $102, 789 rebate for in-state spending.

“We’re part of the Office of Economic Development, so we’re very interested in creating jobs,” said Colorado film commissioner Donald Zuckerman. “For a show to be completely shot here and completely crewed here means that all that money goes into our community. There’s also a definite tourism benefit with Joey opening each show in Aspen, Glenwood Springs, and all these different towns.”

Although it is produced at the Comcast building in Centennial, Comcast viewers cannot yet watch “The Joey Canyon Show” since the carrier dropped RFD in 2013 in favor of al-Jazeera America (now scheduled to shut down in April).

“I’m hoping my show will give them a reason to put it back,” Canyon said.

Canyon has assembled an experienced crew to that end. In addition co-host Miller, who is based in Nashville, and award-winning director Phelan, Canyon employs longtime collaborator Curtis Stone (of Highway 101) as music director of his crack backing band, the Blistered Keisters.

“There were 67 names on a recent call sheet, including cast and crew,” said talent coordinator Sheri Kaz, a 35-year industry veteran who has worked on shows like “The Amazing Race” and “Food Network Challenge.” “That’s pretty significant for a Colorado show. Work for local crews can be few and far between.”

RFD and others urged Canyon to produce the show in Nashville, since it would save on transportation and other costs for its guests. But Canyon fought to base it in Colorado.

“This has never been done in Colorado — not on a national scale like this,” Canyon said of his show, which airs at 8 p.m. Friday nights. “We like to have fun and give people great entertainment, and I don’t think that’s limited to any particular age group or a demographic.”

Eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 were closed Saturday afternoon at Georgetown due to a semitrailer fire, the Colorado Department of Transportation tweeted. The right lane remains closed, while the other lanes have since reopened. Drivers can expect heavy delays, transportation officials said. The fire initially closed both sides of the interstate as smoked crossed the highway. The load on the...